When you pursue a master’s degree in New Food thinking at UNISG, no one tells you that while it will be a tasty journey full of learning and life-changing encounters, it will also bring you face-to-face with great emotions and questions that sometimes seem beyond what you ever considered possible. Since the adventure that is now coming to an end, we have cooked up some successful projects that have sparked the curiosity of fellow gastronomes, touched heartstrings, and generated many conversations around food. Each one has been more stimulating and innovative than the last, but an unexpected class encouraged us to take a step much further by listening to our hungry brains’ cravings and approaching them from a more intimate perspective.
Tine Galatius, an influential food artist based in Copenhagen, arrived in Pollenzo for the first time to take 15 new-food-thinkers out of our philosophizing corner and lead the way towards finding ‘The Taste of Our Dreams.’ She took it upon herself the responsibility to show us that a spirit of inquiry and desire for learning – as well as for eating – can take creativity to the next level. With an irreverent yet inspiring style, Tine, along with her assistant Lisa Young and photographer Jacqueline Stofsick, set up and documented a 3-day workshop in which we were challenged to step into the unknown, think outside the box, and represent our dreams by using one single -not so simple- ingredient: the egg. At first glance, it seemed difficult to view an egg as more than just… well, an egg. However, as we deepened into its extraordinary versatility and its role as a symbol in art and culinary creations – often representing new beginnings, fragility, strength, or even death – it became clear that the decision to focus on this precious element was entirely intentional.
With this cathartic exercise, we found opportunities not only to fill our stomachs but to express our inner selves by breaking the rules. It was the kind of project that certainly transcended the boundaries of a classroom, given that its artistic and reflective approach made it a gastronomic exhibition in all its splendor. As in the best menus, each course of the experience was thoughtfully prepared to bring a wonderful story to the table and beyond, so please take a seat, grab your forks, and have a taste of an excellent eggsperience.
Antipasti: Day One
To prepare the palate
- Blindfolded outdoor walk over 300 eggs
Perfectly curated to awaken the senses and get introduced to the main ingredient. - Thoughts for sharing
Mixed emotions related to the perception towards the activity – Anger, excitement, fear and frustration spice up the dish. - A date with the senses
Varied abstract ideas explored in groups:
the smell of tranquility
the sound of power
the taste of victory
the look of love
the texture of being lost.
- The task
A thick slice of inquiry – “What’s the taste of your dream?” - Grandma’s memories
DIY poetic snack at the end of the first lesson – beaten egg yolk, sugar, warm elderberry soup, topped with a fairytale about stirring the stars down from heaven.
Primo Piatto: Day Two
Production
- The backstage odyssey
Eggs cooked for 3 hours in multiple ways by each member of the class, with great dedication and attention to detail. A celebration of the senses, techniques, teamwork, and the courage to experiment with the risk of failing.
Secondi Piatti: Day Three
Performance
- Dreams come true
A sneak peek of some big bites among a total of 15 to try:
An encounter with the unconscious:
Egg cloud made with creamed whites, covered with a large, thin omelet. A dish that nurtures the hope of those who dare to dream. By Lian Mathatias.
What do the eggs have to say?
Painted egg shells with the Chinese character xí (惜. meaning: ‘to cherish, treasure and value’), scrambled with other characters, form into words – A selection of beautiful values brought to the plate and the heart. By Wei Ting Tsai.
Oyeggster
Oyster-like eggshell made of flour, butter, and charcoal powder. This dish symbolizes the seek of happiness in a world full of challenges to overcome. By Shi-Xuan Zhou (Douglas).
A matter of Self
3 mini-courses made of bitter teenage episodes. By Alice Orlandelli.
Cracked Perfeggtion
An interactive exploration of lightness and freedom. “When the shell cracks, the flow happens”. By Daniela Ramírez.
Egg Alchemy
Graceful swirls and gentle folds crafted in ethereal meringues. An invitation to savor and experience dreams and to crush and dissolve them as easily as they emerge. By Cara Campbell.
The words we eat:
Spicy, silky mayonnaise handwriting – Mouthwatering words plated on paper, paired with a delightful recorded story on self-discovery and the power of prose. By Angie Diaz.
Dolci: Epilogue
Feedback
- Crem della Egg
Wholeheartedness and admiration, seasoned with tears and kind words. A perfect ending to melt into the wonderful feeling of being comfortably full.
Digestion:
While it is true that the mix between art, philosophy, and food is unusual for many, what the students of New Food Thinking built was undoubtedly a demonstration that food offers an array of possibilities for expression. It took many hours and broken shells for us to acknowledge that part of the egg’s essence is to find in cuisine and other disciplines the way to tell a compelling story. Thus, taking a closer look into different ideas and processes helped us to understand that whether poached, baked, or fried, the egg always manages to scramble us all together by means of the universal and touching language of food. To this extent, our collective passion for gastronomy made it possible to create an environment where mutual respect and complicity flourished, resulting in a deep sense of belonging that can only be found when sharing thoughts, joining forces in the kitchen, and enjoying a meal insieme.
Even though digging inside our minds, hearts, and such a complex ingredient was anything but easy, it is worth saying that besides being an exciting and intriguing culinary nerding, this adventure was also a continuous proposal on how to understand our existence and live. By materializing our dreams in the most personal way possible, we uncovered parts of ourselves that until now were difficult to appreciate, parts of the past and the present that, once put together, crafted one big collective dream: to redefine food and allow people to find themselves in it. In this sense, building on the analogy of the egg, our task as future food creatives is breaking dozens of eggs and cooking them up so deliciously that people crave them as eagerly as they would eat the entire world-devouring it but savoring every bite of the feast.
Photos ©Jacqueline Stofsick